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Understanding Chlamydia
the Basics | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention
Treatment
How Do I Know If I Have It?
If you suspect you have chlamydia, your doctor may want to test your cervical fluid or penile discharge with a special culture medium, examining the fluids microscopically with a substance that makes bacteria glow, or using molecular biology techniques. The doctor may draw blood to check for antibodies to the disease. Urine can also be examined for the presence of antibodies.
In most cases of chlamydia, the cure rate is 95%. However, because most women don't know they have the disease until it has caused serious complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease, sexually active women should be tested for chlamydia once a year during their annual pelvic examination.
What Are the Treatments?
If you are diagnosed with chlamydia, your doctor will prescribe oral antibiotics. A single dose of azithromycin or a week of doxycycline twice daily is the most common treatment and is the same for those with or without HIV.
With treatment, the infection should clear up in about a week. Do not have sex until you have taken all of your medication, and do not stop taking the antibiotics even if you feel better.
Your doctor will also recommend that your partner(s) be treated as well to prevent reinfection and further spread of the disease.
Women with serious infections, such as pelvic inflammatory disease, need stronger doses of doxycycline, cefoxitin, or penicillin derivatives or may require hospitalization for intravenous antibiotics.
the Basics | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention
